Former Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly took his anger out on the players’ tunnel of the Allianz Stadium after being shown a red card in his side’s dramatic Champions League defeat by Galatasaray.
Kelly, who has become a regular with the Italian side since joining from the Magpies in a £20million deal in the summer, was part of a side that was 5-2 down on aggregate to the Turkish giants going into the second leg of the play-off tie.
It had seemed as though it would be tough for Luciano Spalletti’s side to make a comeback, but they got off to the perfect start when Manuel Locatelli netted a penalty just before half-time.
Things went south, though, when Kelly was shown a straight red card at the start of the second-half. The incident arrived following a clash with Galatasaray’s Baris Yilmaz, which initially saw Kelly given a yellow card – which would have been his second of the game anyway.
After challenging for a header, he ended up scraping his heels down the back of his opponent’s calf, resulting in the forward hitting the ground in agony. Upon a VAR review, the card was upgraded to straight red.
Kelly was apologetic following the incident, which seemed to be entirely accidental – the Englishman having his eyes on the ball at all times.
Lloyd Kelly took his frustration out on the players’ tunnel after being shown a controversial red card in Juventus’ defeat by Galatasaray
Kelly was sent off after accidentally standing on the calf of Galatasaray’s Baris Yilmaz
After the review, though, he was left with his head in his hands, protesting the decision made by referee Joao Pinheiro, before eventually leaving the field. He was then seen kicking the tunnel as he made his way back to the changing room.
The decision left Juve with an absolute mountain to climb, but they found themselves level in the final 10 minutes thanks to strikes from Federico Gatti and Weston McKennie.
That took the game to extra time, but it proved too much for the 10 men of Juventus and Victor Osimhen put Galatasaray back ahead in extra time and Yilmaz but the game beyond doubt – the Turkish side losing 3-2 on the night, but winning 7-5 on aggregate.
It is the latest blow for a Juventus side that have fallen off a cliff since the days of their regular Serie A and European success. Now out of the Champions League, they also find themselves fifth in the league table – 18 points behind leaders Inter.
Kelly has played 34 times for his new side this season, including nine times in the Champions League. The only European game he missed was against Sporting Lisbon in the league phase, when he had a hamstring injury.
Now 27, Kelly enjoyed a spell at Bournemouth between 2019 and 2024 before making the move to Newcastle, but things didn’t work out there.
He joined Juventus on loan mid-way through last season, and his move became permanent in the summer. Though he was once a regular for England’s Under-21 side, he has never been capped by the senior team.
